So, England take the one-day series 3-0, and the curtains are drawn on a winless tour for India. With this win, England and India swap positions on the ICC's ODI tables, England taking 4th while the visitors are knocked down to 5th. Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott did the early work, but Bopara was at hand at the end to see them home - as he just failed to do at Lord's. This run chase will be remembered for Bairstow's stunning debut knock, however, as he showed a calm head and tremendous hitting power in his 21-ball 41.
India had more than held their own with the bat, Virat Kohli's century ensuring his team's highest total of the tour. With this bowling attack, the runs simply weren't enough. Dravid also showed that he remains a classy performer even as he brings his ODI career to an end, and he is fittingly the man to lead the team off the field to appreciative applause. Stick with us for the presentations.
"Finally the nightmare is over," whimpers Pinal.
Debutant Jonny Bairstow is Man of the Match. "I got the call yesterday. To start off like this is a dream come true, really. I just wanted to enjoy it and experience it, and hopefully I can push on from here. My one-day cricket before this year wasn't great, but i've been pleased with how I've gone for Yorkshire this year. With the injuries we've got, there are opportunities in the England team at the moment." What a well-spoken 21-year-old he is.
MS Dhoni is, of course, the Player of the Series. "I think in quite a few games this happened, but we can't control the weather. The big blow tonight was losing Munaf, as he's our bowler at the death. These were difficult condittions, but good exposure [for players like Vinay Kumar]. These are the players who have been playing in the ODI format for the last six months, and many of them are the future. Definitely we need to manage these injuries. We've lost so many players on this tour."
"To remain unbeaten in this one-day series is a fantastic effort by the lads," says a beaming Alastair Cook. "It's all about developing these young players, giving them a chance at international level, and there are some good signs for the future. This is the start of a journey. I know how hungry the lads are, to play as well as we have done to chase that target has been very satisfying. I'm really excited about the challenge of the winter tours." As are we all, Alastair.
And that brings our coverage of the final ODI to a close. If you'd like to catch up with today's action, do have a look at Andrew Miller's report. We've also got a rather flash gallery for your enjoyment. Finally, a big thank you to everyone who's tuned in to our coverage throughout India's tour. It's been thoroughly enjoyable covering the games - despite the machinations of the weather - and great having you along for the ride. Until next time, goodbye.
"Time for some hard decisions perhaps?" asks Ram. "Hopefully, the BCCI does not say everything is ok, we just had one bad series. Hard Luck to India. Kudos England. Rahul Dravid..sigh, as usual hard luck man, thanks for all the great knocks in limited overs."
END OF OVER:32 | 7 Runs | ENG: 238/4 (3 runs required from 12 balls, RR: 7.43, RRR: 1.50)
- Ravi Bopara34 (20b)
- Jonny Bairstow41 (21b)
- Ravichandran Ashwin4-0-25-0
- Virat Kohli6-0-44-1
The game has turned completely. It was touch-and-go when the powerplay was taken, but it's all England's now.
END OF OVER:31 | 16 Runs | ENG: 231/4 (10 runs required from 18 balls, RR: 7.45, RRR: 3.33)
- Jonny Bairstow38 (18b)
- Ravi Bopara30 (17b)
- Virat Kohli6-0-44-1
- RP Singh7-0-51-1
END OF OVER:30 | 12 Runs | ENG: 215/4 (26 runs required from 24 balls, RR: 7.16, RRR: 6.50)
- Ravi Bopara25 (15b)
- Jonny Bairstow27 (14b)
- RP Singh7-0-51-1
- Vinay Kumar6-0-39-1
Third man and fine leg are inside the circle.
RP Singh will share powerplay duties.
END OF OVER:29 | 14 Runs | ENG: 203/4 (38 runs required from 30 balls, RR: 7.00, RRR: 7.60)
- Jonny Bairstow26 (12b)
- Ravi Bopara14 (11b)
- Vinay Kumar6-0-39-1
- Ravindra Jadeja5-0-52-1
